


A Renewed Past...and Present

by Cee_shy



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2019)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Minor Violence, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-04-23 17:27:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19155655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cee_shy/pseuds/Cee_shy
Summary: Years after a tragic event severs a close bond, a woman returns to her small hometown for a new job. Upon her return, she catches the eye of an old friend while reconnecting with some others from her past. But an unexpected arrival brings up old wounds, a new relationship, and another event that no one expected.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time doing a story incorporating two separate characters from a book/movie and a TV show. Feedback and kudos is appreciated and encouraged.

 (Years ago)

_"Father, I can't! She didn't do this!"_

_"You were the one who spoke to her before the incident! Surely something was off before they all perished!"_

_She wiped tears from her eyes outside of the courtroom and watched as her friend was lead inside by two men and one woman, possibly a nurse. Her friend had developed a severe case of anxiety following the deaths of her parents and relatives, and her heart broke for her. Constance might have grown up in a wealthy and controlling household, but Cassandra knew that her friend was not capable of committing a crime. None of it made any sense to her and while her father and other villagers quickly assumed that it was the truth, Cassandra wanted to say that her childhood friend was telling the truth._

_"But she didn't do it!" Cassandra seethed. "She is obedient, intelligent, kind...and my friend! I'm not going to say that she poisoned her family when she..."_

_"You listen to me, young lady," her father growled, gripping her shoulders. "If you continue to act this way, I will throw you out of this house immediately!"_

_Her blood began to boil as her father gave her the rundown on what to say during her testimony: discuss the events prior to the dinner, discuss her friend's interactions with her and her family, and admit that Constance killed her family._

_"I received an early admittance to Wesleyan," Cassandra told her father before she entered the courtroom. "When I'm finished, I'm packing all of my things, taking the next train to Connecticut, and never coming home."_

_"I'm doing this for your safety," her father explained firmly. "The Blackwoods were never to be trusted and we must keep a firm distance from them. Especially the younger sister and her uncle."_

_Moments later, Cassandra took a breath, entered the courtroom, and swore to tell the truth about what had occurred before the incident. When she was asked if Constance had intentionally poisoned her family with arsenic, she looked over at her friend, then at her father, and answered with a hesitant, "Yes."_

_\--------------------------------------------------------------------_

(Six Years Later)

"Have you spoken to your father at all about the change of address? You know how he gets when everything doesn't work out as expected."

Cassandra sighed as she placed the last of her belongings in one of her suitcases. "He's well aware that I'm not staying with The Carsons. But he's not aware that their son had binoculars under his bed," She replied. "It's obvious that their youngest son still hasn't matured."

"I'm sure it was a simple misunderstanding."

"I'm sure it wasn't, mother. Not if his friends took turns watching me sunbathe in the backyard and then claim that they were bird watching."

Her mother shook her head and remarked, "Boys will be boys."

Moments later, a cab pulled up to their driveway and her father placed her suitcases in the trunk. "Do you have everything you need, Cassandra?"

"I do," she replied shortly. Cassandra had always been close to her parents, but it was time for her to branch out and earn some independence again. While she did have some freedom in college, she always found herself back with her parents as she worked on earning a teaching degree. Even though all of the teaching positions had been filled, she managed to earn a job as a librarian in her childhood hometown. Her parents were pleased that Cassandra had been hired, but still had their reservations about returning.

"I've heard that the sister comes to town every other day for groceries and books," her mother. "The only one who stills shows any kindness to her is that woman at the diner. I would avoid her at any given moment when you see her."

"Mother, I'm not a child anymore," Cassandra explained. "But I know who is worth talking to and who isn't. I'll be fine."

Her father then approached her with two envelopes: one was labeled "rent" while the other read "miscellaneous".

"In case you need extra things from the market," he said. Her father then smiled at her. "You'll call and write to us before we move..."

"I always do, father. And I'll be okay."

(To be continued...)

 

 

_(To be continued...)_


	2. Chapter 2

Days later, Cassandra placed her suitcases on the ground and looked down at the piece of paper indicating the address of where she would be staying. The house looked too expensive for a cottage or a boarding house. Cottages, in her opinion, were supposed to be smaller on the inside and outside. She had no desire to stay in a boarding house that looked unsafe or with her parents, as they were about to relocate to California. The boarding house she had stayed in when she first arrived was not what she had expected. While it resembled the hallways of the dorms she stayed in at college, the rooms itself were not clean. A co-worker she had become friends with knew someone who had an extra room available and conveniently located a few miles from town, despite the trees that surrounded it.The house she soon observed in front of her resembled a mansion that could fit more than twenty people. A multitude of flowers and bushes adorned the driveway along with two sculptures near the mailbox, a rabbit and a tortoise. 

"This can't be right," she thought, looking at the address once again. “I don’t think I can afford a room in a place like this.”

“Can I help you?”

She whipped her head around and noticed a man who was about her age. He was dressed in a casual shirt and slacks, but not uptight like a few of the townspeople she had come across since her arrival. She knew the reason why some acted that way and didn't want to think about it now that she was working and on her own. 

"Hello,"Cassandra replied nervously, fumbling with the slip of paper. “I’m looking for this address. I think my co-worker made a mistake.”

Once he took the paper, he smiled. "You're in the right place," the man answered. "I know the directions can be a little tricky, so I apologize."

"It's not a problem," Cassandra calmly stated, feeling a sense of relief. "I used to pass by this home on occasion. And I just moved back home to start a job at the local library..."

“So you’re the new librarian everyone's talking about.” 

She looked at him and replied, "Word travels fast, I guess. And how did you know?"

"My daughter needed help finding a book," he answered. "She likes to read during the summer when her friends aren't able to play with her. She also has to write an essay about her summer."

"Oh, I remember doing those. I always had to run out to the woods just to find some inspiration. And to get out of my parent's house."

After some silence, the man confirmed the address and offered to carry her suitcases inside while Cassandra observed the outside of the grey stoned house. For some reason, it reminded her of a home she once visited with her father, but once she stepped inside the home, it felt inviting, warm, and safe. The images of the cold and restrictive hallways from her childhood quickly flashed through her mind, then ceased once the owner proceeded to talk.

"My room is next to my daughter's," the man replied as he gave Cassandra a tour of the home. He had already shown her the living room and spacious backyard with some tables and chairs along with a pathway that entered some woods he would occasionally explore with his daughter, but remained cautious of the surroundings during the day. Now they were walking down the cream colored hallways and observing a number of available rooms. "There's an extra bathroom across the hall and a library in case the summer heat is too much to handle. Grace and I have our own bathrooms as well, so there's no rush."

He then showed her the room she would be staying in, explaining that it used to belong to his sister, who spent almost a year redecorating her bedroom upon her engagement to a childhood sweetheart. The bedroom walls were painted in a pale shade of blue with country style window curtains that lightly danced in the warm breeze. A number of drawings and paintings adorned the walls and complimented the wooden dresser a few inches from the bed. 

"It's perfect," Cassandra remarked. "I don't know how much the rent will be, but the room is lovely."

Before he could answer, he heard someone walk up the steps and lightly smile. "Hello, Grace," he replied. "You're home early."

"Sarah's grandparents are here for a visit, so she had to run home for lunch," she answered. "And we almost bumped into..."

The girl then stopped short and smiled. "Hi, Miss Cassandra!" She exclaimed happily. "I'm halfway done with the book you found for me!"

The man widened his eyes. "Cassandra?" He asked."Cassandra Riley?" 

Cassandra looked at him in confusion for a few seconds, then realized who she was renting the room from. "Jefferson," she realized calmly. "Oh my gosh. I almost didn't recognize you."

"It's the hair," Grace half whispered. "He went to the barber and got a haircut."

 Jefferson blushed slightly. "Thank you, Grace. But our guest doesn't have to know that."

"Oh, it's fine," Cassandra replied. "I think it suits you. It's not as long as it used to be."

 

"Is she going to stay with us, papa?"

"Yes, but it's only temporary. Until then, she's staying with us..."

"And I have to be on my best behavior," Grace finished. "I know."

 

Cassandra immediately chuckled and watched as he jokingly whispered something in Grace's ear which caused her to giggle and blush lightly. "I'll be there in a minute," he said. "Be careful with the plates."

They watched as she headed downstairs and into the kitchen, humming a song to herself while she opened a few cabinet doors. "I had no idea that she was your daughter," Cassandra half whispered. "She's very sweet."

"She is, but she does have her moments," Jefferson admitted. "I guess it's all part of growing up."

 

"Sometimes we forget about how we were her age once. It's all about patience."

"Especially when you're on your own."

 

After another brief moment of silence, they were about to head into the kitchen for lunch when Cassandra excused herself to use the bathroom. Once she entered, a few children could be heard from the outside, taunting someone or something as their bikes moved up the dirt road and stopped.

"You and your sister eat rats!"

"Where's your bottle of poison, Mary Catherine?"

Cassandra's ears pricked up when the name-calling turned into a made up nursery rhyme that instantly caused her stomach to turn when she realized who the children were taunting. 

 

(To be continued...)


End file.
